You love singing and have big dreams but stage fright has always been an issue for you? In this article, you’ll learn how to overcome stage fright?
First of all, it is important to know that being anxious before a performance is totally normal, there is nothing wrong about this. Any artist can be nervous before getting on stage, even experienced professional singers. The positive aspect of stage fright is that it means you actually care about what you’re about to do. And performing in front of an audience is not as difficult as it seems, it all depends on your perception of the situation…
And guess what? Nothing is set in stone, you can change that!
Here are a few tips to help you feel more confident and to overcome any fear you may have about performing on stage:
- Choose the right song or set of songs for your performance.
In order for you to be confident on stage, the first thing to do is to choose a song you can sing with no difficulty, and not a song that doesn’t suit you.
That’s a pity when I hear talented artists singing beautiful songs and yet it doesn’t give me any goosebumps because the song they chose was simply not fitting their vocal range, their timber etc.
It is also very important that you relate to what you are singing. If you don’t understand and don’t feel the meaning of what you are singing, magic won’t happen on stage and you will see that your audience will not be focused.
- Practice, practice and practice.
Being prepared is obviously crucial. Stage fright often means you fear to fail on the day of your performance. Therefore, you must practice your songs over and over again to be less stressed and be calm while on stage.
During your practice, make sure you know all the lyrics, and make sure you can hit all the high notes. Don’t be scared to be over-prepared rather than not enough. And pushing yourself to your limits and taking you out of your comfort zone will only help you improve.
If you are not confident with your voice, it can also be a good thing to get a vocal coach.
For your preparation, the first step would be to exercise alone, in front of a mirror and then without. Later on, you’ll need to train performing in front of friends and relatives to get more confidence, to see their reactions and to get some feedback. And always keep in mind that whatever they say will somehow help you, they are there to support you, not to push you down. And remember, it’s human to make mistakes, there’s no reason to be ashamed of anything. At least you try, compared to all the persons who always talk but never do.
Recording yourself is another good way to hear where your flaws could be.
- Have a positive mindset
It is very important to work on your mental.
Your mind needs to be your ally, not your enemy. So one tip would be to visualize your success in advance: close your eyes, see the venue where you will sing, be there in your mind and hear yourself singing perfectly during the performance. Visualize that everything is going exactly the way you want and that the audience gives you a great response. By doing this, you will boost your confidence. So, always visualize yourself succeeding rather than failing. It will give you motivation and excitement to go on stage, and will surely take your performance to another level.
Tell yourself you can do it because no one can ever stop you but yourself! Show everyone what you got!
Also remember that your audience is your friend, not your enemy.
- Be natural, be yourself on stage
Before going on stage, take a moment to just relax, to chill.
Be yourself! Don’t try to be someone else, be natural and don’t take things too seriously. Of course, there’s probably another part of you that you’ll show up while on stage, a part that you never show while off stage, but this is ok, you’re an artist after all! Just don’t try to copy another artist, because nobody wants to see a copy, people want to see originality, therefore they want to see the real you! So be natural, you’ll feel comfortable and the audience will feel it.
What do people in the audience expect? They come at a show to have fun, so just have fun too!
So, when you get on stage, smile and relax. Some artists say that being on stage is like being in their own living room performing but with more people, more “friends” in front of them. Everyone has his own way of seeing things, it’s all about perception. Once you understand this feeling, things will be more natural. Try to be as close as possible with your audience even if you are singing in a big venue.
If you forget your lyrics, it’s ok. I even saw professional artists forgetting lyrics. When it happens, believe me, their audience is not even mocking them. Those artists would instantly joke about it and are totally ok with being “ridiculous”. And once again, we’re all human, aren’t we? So if this happens, laugh about it and move on. So the audience will not even give any importance to this.
Of course it is important to learn by heart your lyrics as much as you can. But while you’re on stage, you’re there to share emotions, so just feel and live the moment and you’ll catch your audience’s attention.
Knowing how to overcome stage fright can eventually take your career to another level. It’s time for you to share your talent with the world, not only with friends and relatives.
And if you have the voice but need music, here on Beats Avenue, we offer a large catalogue of quality instrumentals/beats for your projects: Pop Beats, RnB Beats, Rap Beats, Gospel Beats…
Click here to visit our Beat Store.
Remember that the more you will perform and the more you will feel at ease on stage. And you will also realize how lucky you are to have the opportunity to share emotions with an audience, because what they will give you back is priceless!
Good luck with your next performance!
And please feel free to leave a comment below and tell us about your experience on stage ;)
Steve
